Prosecutors Allege Ex-Adams Aide Took Diamond Earrings As Bribe

Crowned as the so-called “Lioness of City Hall,” the corruption case is one of many high-profile cases Lewis-Martin is involved in.

New details emerged in the bribery case against former New York City aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who prosecutors allege participated in a corruption scheme for gifts in exchange for pressure to approve unsafe building projects, the New York Times reported.

Lewis-Martin, the former chief adviser to ex-NYC Mayor Eric Adams, has been tied up in numerous criminal indictments accusing her of abusing her authority while in a position of power to benefit her friends and associates in a bribery scheme.

New details have been added to the long list of bribes, including 2-carat diamond earrings priced at $3,000, offered by two developers who ran into delays with the city’s Building Department.

As prosecutors allege she once received thousands of dollars in catered events and cash in exchange for fast-tracking permit approvals for a karaoke bar, the diamond-cut details allege that one of the developers, Raizada Vaid, sought help with renovation plans for a hotel on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Texts show Vaid contacted the former aide to step in, saying, “Please call your DOB contact” after alleging the project was “stuck.”

Lewis-Martin allegedly followed orders, getting in touch with the department’s acting commissioner just two days later. However, when staff expressed safety concerns while Vaid described it as “simple” interior renovation issues, Lewis-Martin kept the pressure up.

Ultimately, the permit was approved.

While Lewis-Martin’s lawyer, Arthur L. Aidala, released a statement saying, “We look forward to a robust reply that we will be filing to these charges,” the allegations are listed as a new addition to five indictments, in which she benefited from project approvals.

She once received crab cakes, home renovations, and a television show appearance after playing favorites for a contractor and attempted to dump another project for protected bike lanes in Brooklyn.

Lewis-Martin and the other former Adams administration defendants have all issued not guilty pleas as the team was hit with several indictments, including a federal corruption indictment in 2024 against Adams himself.

Crowned the so-called “Lioness of City Hall,” according to The Gothamist, the corruption case is one of many high-profile cases in which Lewis-Martin is involved. Prosecutors allege she once helped a supporter of Adams, Tian Ji Li, receive a $1.2 million contract in an effort to provide housing for asylum seekers.

The former aide allegedly told a City Hall employee, “Whatever site TJ wants, I need him to get them. Because that’s our f—ing people.”

Later, it was alleged that Li wired $50,000 to a bank account controlled by Lewis-Martin’s son.